


I'm Only Human

by The_Good_Tevinter



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, Bar fights, Emotional Baggage, Explicit Language, M/M, Memory Loss, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Reyes is the best wingman, Scott is tired of everyone's crap, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 11:17:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10661451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Good_Tevinter/pseuds/The_Good_Tevinter
Summary: 600 years of sleep can do a lot to a person. Especially if that person is Scott Ryder. Not only did the blast from the monolith knock he and his father clean off the platform, it teleported him. He woke up again, on a strange planet-the man beside him dead and a persistent AI stuck in his brain-calling him a Pathfinder. Whatever the hell that is. Four days after being picked up by one Reyes Vidal, he found out the planet was called Kadara. Three weeks later, he set up shop at the port upon the western-most plateau. Four months later he killed a man in cold blood. Nine months later the kett began terrorizing Kadara. A year had come full circle and he owned Kralla’s Song alongside Umi Henon. That’s when the Initiative showed up. Well, more specifically a bunch of people that claimed to be his friends and called him ‘The Pathfinder’.Whatever the hell that is.





	1. NOTE/PLEASE READ!

**Author's Note:**

> As I explained to a friend:  
> "It's basically a clusterfuck of  
> 'who are these people and why are they calling me a Pathfinder?'  
> 'where's Reyes?'  
> 'I wanna go home.'  
> 'Fuck you guys, I own a bar.'"
> 
> I PROMISE this is just the prologue-the actual chapters will be A LOT longer! Thanks for reading!

Hey guys! Thanks for checking out this story and I appreciate it that you would take the time to read this little note as well! I haven't written anything in a few years and decided to start something new. This is as much an adventure for you as it is for me. I know, I'm talking about a fan fiction. But nevertheless, I appreciate your support! Check back regularly because I will be editing these first three chapters and resubmitting them as longer, more in depth parts! I'll admit I rushed these and I feel dissatisfied with how they played out. If you have any questions or something you'd like to see answered in a later chapter, don't be afraid to ask me! Thank you so much for reading! 

\--The_Good_Tevinter


	2. Prologue

Kadara smelled like rotten eggs. Smelled like them in the morning, the stench reaching a nearly unbearable height in the afternoon before simmering down at night. And oh boy, did Scott live for the nights. The nights he could sit out on the roof of Kralla’s Song and look out across the rugged peaks, stars dancing in the sky. The pitch black blanket that hugged against the lights shimmering above him seemed endless. Part of him knew it was. Sometimes he wished he was up there, a small voice in the back of his head cursing him for not getting off his ass and leaving. But leave to where? He didn’t know. Besides, who would take care of Reyes? The man couldn’t go an hour without bothering the living daylights out of Scott. He  felt a pang of remorse and he closed his eyes, an unsavory breeze catching against his hair. He really hated the smell of rotten eggs. 

**I am sorry I cannot help** _ ,  _ SAM said. He often said that when Scott sat marveling at the skies. It sometimes felt weird, like someone was speaking directly into his ear. After a year though, SAM’s automated voice didn’t startle him. He didn’t think the AI could actually be sorry but kudos for trying. Scott was sorry too. But being sorry didn’t do him any good most days. He sighed.

“It’s OK, buddy. Nothing you can do.”

Scott had once asked SAM if he could recover his memories-everything he’d lost. They’d tried. But what ended up happening was a lot of screaming, blood dripping from his ears and winding up bent over a toilet heaving up his insides. That was one trip he didn’t want to relive. So, bottom line, it was irreversible. As far as they knew-not for lack of searching later on. So Scott had settled for what he had. A bar, a best friend, and SAM. Okay and Umi. But Umi was more like someone who would hug you just as soon as push you into a sulfur lake. Six out of ten on the friendship scale. 

**It is getting late, Scott. Perhaps you should retire to your bed?** SAM dotted. Scott heaved a heavy sigh. He didn’t feel tired, but he also trusted SAM to know when he was starting to grow weary. The AI was almost like an omniscient mother, always nagging him.

**I’m simply here to look after you.**

“Sure thing, pal.” he replied into the dark space before him. Talking to SAM outloud wasn’t always the smartest but when it was just the two of them Scott didn’t need to worry about someone wandering by and tagging him as a psychopath. Not like people didn’t already speculate.

Giving one last look at the spattering of stars above, Scott inched towards the ledge and carefully pushed himself over the side of the roof, scaling downwards. Landing on solid ground behind the actual bar, Scott made his way to the small apartment he called home. He took his time, of course. Kadara Port wasn't without its beauties, as rare as they were. Sometimes he imagined the neon signs as some sort of aurora in the sky, dancing all around. Purples and blues, pinks and reds. But Scott would quickly remind himself that those who don't watch where they're going can sometimes wind up in nasty accidents. Or with a knife in their gut. Scott wasn't fond of internal bleeding anyways.

The door to his house yawned open with a small wail of rust on top of even more rust. Reyes had said he would fix that today. Scott frowned. He hadn’t seen much of Reyes this past week. Busy with the Collective, as usual. 

It was a small, homey place, with tough walls and a tougher roof- sturdy like everything on Kadara. Reyes had helped him purchase it after four months of crashing at his place. 

He kicked off his shoes and shrugged the jacket from his shoulders, hanging it on the hook opposite of his bed, which he promptly fell into. It creaked like everything else he owned but right at that moment it felt like he had landed on a cloud.

“G’night, SAM.” Scott mumbled.

_ Goodnight, Pathfinder. _

“Told you t’stop callin’ me that.” he complained before sleep hit him over the head and he dropped into a dreamless abyss. 

 

**IN KADARA’S GRAVITATIONAL ORBIT.**

 

Liam Kosta sat hunched over his computer, eyes tearing across the scrawl of text in front of him-searching. Liam Kosta sat hunched over his computer, eyes tearing across the scrawl of text in front of him-searching. His room was dark, only illuminated by the screen of his electronics. They threw shadows across the area, bathing it in an ethereal light. Liam blinked his eyes rapidly for a moment, clearing the burning pain of staring at the computer for too long.  _ Not long enough _ , he thought. He clicked and scrolled down the pages, eyeing the data with scrutiny. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, a month-old beard crawling up his jawline. He had been up for three days now, his body beginning to pull itself into sleep out of sheer exhaustion. But none of that mattered. Not if he had finally found it. Found  _ him _ .  _ Scott _ .

The computer pinged, highlighted a line of script. 

Liam’s eyes widened in shock and he pulled himself up from the couch, snatching up his portable as he went. 

Cora sat alone in the galley, pushing around a plate of food. Well, it didn't look like food. More like someone had dumped a bucket of grease into soggy oatmeal. She couldn't bring herself to eat, even though her stomach told her she should. Everyone was feeling the strain. Gil hadn't cracked any jokes in months, Kallo was testier than usual, and Suvi had stopped asking people to try her specials from planetary vegetation. They weren't the Pathfinder Team without their Pathfinder. But it had been two years. A  _ year _ of nothing but empty leads and kett attacks. They were becoming more frequent-more hostile. Hope was on short supply.

Cora was just about to toss her meal out when Liam barged in, a jittery light in his eyes, tired smile plastering his face. He set his computer down on the table with a clatter and flipped it open, pointing frantically at the text.

“It’s  _ him _ .” Liam said.  _ Him? _ Cora processed what he had said for a good two seconds before she understood. Dropping her fork she swung her legs out from under the bench and reached for the com’s speaker by the cabinets. Hurriedly Cora punched in an access code and primed it for the Bridge. For what seemed like an eternity, the mic beeped. Then there was a click. 

“Kallo?” she asked.

“What is it?” Answered the Salarian, sounding as though he’d been roused from a nap.

“Get the rest of the crew,” Cora said, looking over at Liam, tears in her eyes. “ _ We’ve found Scott _ .”


	3. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!

Scott was yanking himself from the warm blankets of the bed when Reyes showed up, knocking persistently on the door. He pulled himself up, stumbling over a pair of shoes he’d left by the bed. As Scott made his way to the front door, he caught himself in the mirror. Sunburnt skin and black hair. 

_ Hard to think so much has changed in little over a year,  _ he thought to himself, watching his eyes crinkle as he grinned at the reflection. Reyes knocked again. Turning away and drawing a hand down his face, Scott shuffled to the entryway and unlocked the door, swinging it open. Reyes was smiling-which was never a good sign. Smiling meant someone was going to get shot at. 

It was usually him. 

“Fucking Christ, Reyes. It’s a little early isn’t it?” Scott whined. Nevertheless, he opened the door for the smuggler and let him in. Bad ideas and it wasn’t even seven o’clock yet.

“It’s never too early for coffee, my friend!” Reyes replied whimsically.

“So you’re here to take my coffee?” Scott bit back, the door clicking shut behind him. While the man busied himself with wandering around the small apartment, Scott found a decent pair of pants and a fresh (ish?) jacket on the floor to throw over his tank top. The smuggler went to Scott’s cupboard , pulling out a tub of instant coffee, dumping a heaping amount into a cup and adding water. 

“Not exactly.” Reyes said, setting the mug over the stove. Scott eyed him with a knowing smirk. The man shrugged. “Okay, coffee is a plus.”  Reyes took a seat at one of the chairs sitting over in the small alcove beside Scott’s bed, looking out the circular window cut through the metal. His smile faded.

“I’m here with intel.” he said.

_ Oh? _

“What is it?” Scott sat down across from Reyes, brows furrowed. The man looked at him, then back out towards the port below.

“The Initiative docked outside the city earlier this morning.” He said. Scott wasn’t sure what the meant. 

He knew of the Initiative, but that was the extent of it. Scott would like to say it was because no one talked about it-but it was purely lack of interest. He didn’t care what people were doing in another cluster. But why were they here? What was there to see? Maybe they had come for the beer. If anything they had pretty good alcohol - for a city of thieves and criminals.

“Any idea why they’re here?” Scott asked finally, looking out the window with Reyes. The man hummed, shrugging his shoulders.

“Your guess is as good as mine, they haven’t been outside the docks yet. Just..waiting.” Reyes explained. Scott snorted.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a criminal mastermind? Work your villainous powers and find out all the juicy details?” He asked, gesturing out the window. 

“As much as I love getting involved in other people’s business, the Initiative is one place I don’t want to go.” Reyes answered. 

They sat a moment longer before the sun slowly began to climb the farthest mountain, drenching the rooftops in gold. People were moving about in the streets below. 

**Scott, Kralla’s Song opens at seven o’clock. It is six fifty, you’re going to be late**. SAM reminded him. Scott inwardly groaned and rose from his seat, swatting Reyes on the shoulder. 

“Time to go-SAM’s orders.” he said. Reyes waved him off.

“Go on, I’ll be out in a moment.”

“Oooh no, no-you’re leaving now,” Scott countered, ushering the smuggler from the chair. “I’m not leaving you in my house to steal my coffee.” Reyes put up his hands before returning to the stove, shutting it off and removing the cup from the counter. Scott waited while Reyes grabbed a cloth to wrap around the hot ceramic before taking his coffee with him. 

They stepped out into the street together, Reyes sipping his almost too-hot coffee. Scott took a deep breath, popping the collar of his jacket. 

“Do you think Sloane’s ever gonna fix this place?” he asked. Reyes turned to give him an incredulous stare. 

“The day that woman fixes anything in this port is the day I give up drinking,” he raised his mug. “And coffee.” 

 

Kralla’s Song had just opened when Scott arrived, passing through the small crowd already gathered at the tables. He waved to Umi before heading through the back door and around to the counter, joining the asari.

“You’re late.” She chidded. “How’s the boyfriend?” 

“I’d sooner date a thresher maw.” Scott grunted. “Acts like I beat his dog every time I kick him out of my house.” 

“Men.” Umi concluded. Scott gave a small chuckle and set about arranging all the drinks at the back shelves. 

Most of the day passed like any other day. A new record of four fights broke out among the patrons but Umi was quick to remind them that the bar was a ‘get along and hold hands’ place. No arguing-take it outside, yadda, yadda. Scott spent most of his time cleaning out glasses and serving customers, only having to threaten one patron for not paying. The sun filtering in from the outlook to the left of the bar gave decent lighting around midday, the stench of rotted eggs kept at bay with regulators. Reyes had stopped by to harass him about coffee and Umi had just about cut his finger off when he tried to take a bottle from the shelf. It was a good day. 

Well, a good day right up until an Initiative lackey showed up. 

The noise in the bar died down for a moment, most tracking the man as he entered. He was dressed in white, gun holstered. Something told Scott that the guy was uncomfortable with where he was. Tending to another set of dirty cups, Scott stared for a moment out of the corner of his eye. He looked like a soldier, tall and broad-shouldered. The clamor resumed its usual volume of a hectic uproar, people returning to conversations but  _ watching _ . Scott had turned away from the counter to grab a bottle of whiskey when someone came up to the bar.

“...Scott?” Scott stopped what he was doing to look back over his shoulder at the speaker. It was the  Initiative guy. He looked like he had just seen a ghost, eyes wide. Scott grunted and turned back to the wall of alcohol. 

“What d’you need?” he asked. There was a beat of silence.

“It’s me, Liam. Liam Kosta?” 

Scott fetched the bottle from the wall and turned around, setting it on the counter. He cocked a brow.

“That name supposed to mean something to me?” Scott didn’t know any Liams. At least not off the top of his head, and especially not from the Initiative. It wasn’t like he had been here for a long time. But, he supposed, a year was quite a while. The guy - Liam - stared at him for a moment, looking terribly offended. He frowned and searched Scott’s face for something. Maybe he thought Scott was joking. He wasn’t. 

“You  _ seriously _ don’t know me?”

“No,” Scott said. He paused, fixing Liam with a scowl. “Should I?”

“ _ Yes _ !” Liam shouted. People were beginning to look. Scott hummed and took out a shot glass from beneath the counter.

“Look pal, I’m not one for names, and  _ your’s _ doesn’t ring any bells. So unless you’re buying, I’d say you get lost. We get enough trouble here, don’t need any from your kind.” 

That may have been a mistake. Liam swept his hand across the bar, knocking the glass off the counter. It rolled off the side of the platform and shattered on the ground. 

“My  _ kind _ ?!” Liam hissed. The noise died down again-more people looking. Scott tipped the bottle back up to keep from spilling it on the counter. He set it down on the counter with a clatter and shot Liam a nasty glare.

“Look man, you got a problem you can take it up with Umi.  _ After _ you pay for the glass you just broke.” Liam pointed an accusing finger at Scott and snarled.

“Over a fucking  _ year _ we’ve been looking for you and you’ve got yourself set up on this fucking wasteland in a  _ bar _ -serving drinks to criminals?!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Scott ground out. Liam - still scowling like someone had pissed in his cereal - tapped something below his ear, turning away from Scott. 

“Cora,” he said. “We’ve found him. Rendezvous at my point.”

_ Rendezvous at his...what? _

**There is another Initiative member just outside Kralla’s Song, Scott. I suggest listening to them.**

_ Listening to them my ass. Who does this guy think he is? Stepping foot in  _ my _ bar.  _

**A reminder that you co-own Kralla’s Song with Umi Henon.**

_ Shut up, SAM.  _

Scott reached under the counter, hand wrapping around the handle of the standard pistol he always kept there. He knew there were still six bullets in the chamber. Okay maybe five because he vaguely recalls shooting at someone who had tried to assault Reyes during one of his visits. Umi had stopped badmouthing some of the patrons to look over at Scott, concerned. 

**Pulling a gun on an Initiative member may not be the wisest course of action,** SAM said. 

_ Shut  _ up, _ SAM.  _

Scott pulled the gun from beneath the counter and pointed it at Liam. Bad idea, bad idea, said the voice in his head that  _ wasn’t  _ SAM. He cocked the hammer and Liam turned around. He looked moderately surprised-as if he couldn’t believe Scott was pulling a gun on him.

“Scott, what the hell are you doing?” Liam asked. 

“Telling you to get out. I don’t care who you think I am, but I won’t tolerate your bullshit in this bar. Take your fucking friends and leave.”

The bar had gone quiet. Everyone was staring-and frankly it was a little uncomfortable. Holding Liam at gunpoint probably wasn’t helping. In fact, the bar was so quiet that Scott heard the small click of another gun to his right. He glanced over and saw it was the other Initiative member. She also looked shaken. Whether it was because Scott was pointing a gun at her colleague or she knew him too, he wasn’t sure. She had her weapon raised at him. 

_ Not cool.  _

“Scott,” She said. “Put. The gun. Down.” 

“Is this ‘Mess With Scott Day’ because I’m really fucking tired of you people.”  Scott snarled at the two of them, grip tightening on the gun. Then, Umi was there. She put a hand on Scott’s shoulder.

“C’mon Scott, you don’t want to start anything here.”

“How unlike you.” He smiled bitterly. But he dropped the gun, switching the safety back on before setting it on the counter. No one said a word. The woman, he guessed she was Cora-the one Liam had signaled, put her weapon down as well. So far so good. 

“Scott, we need you to come with us.” Cora said- _ pleaded. _ Scott turned his attention on her, fixing her with a spiteful glare. 

“You’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m leaving with you.” He looked back at Liam, just as angry. “Initiative or not, I want you out of Kralla’s Song right now. You have no business here.”

Liam looked at Scott, then at Cora. He was going to shoot them both if someone started crying. Then, Liam sighed, motioning or Cora. He seemed reluctant to leave the argument but stepped away from the counter. 

“He’s right, Cora. Let’s go.”

“But-.”

“ _ Now _ .” Liam insisted. 

**I am detecting high levels of adrenaline in Liam Kosta. I do not think he is likely to leave the matter like this. Be cautious.**

_ Thanks, SAM.  _

 

Scott left work early. He washed his hands off in the back room and let Umi know he was leaving. She let him go, a sad look on her face. It wasn’t like her to be..sad. Umi was either angry or well, angry. Shoving all his concerns into a dark corner in his head, he left Kralla’s Song.

Scott found himself anxious to be out in the open as he walked the streets. Evening had fallen on Kadara Port, casting long shadows down the alleyways. He didn’t like the feeling of being watched, and he felt as though someone was burning a hole in head. Scott pulled the collar of his jacket up a little farther and sped up. He quickly made his way to his house, taking two steps at a time to the rusted door. He unlocked the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. There was a moment when he was encased in darkness. Then, someone turned on a light. Scott jumped and turned to look at who it was.

“Reyes I swear to fucking  _ god- _ !” He stopped. It wasn’t Reyes. 

It was Liam. 

He was sitting in the same chair Reyes had been in that morning, the lamp on the nightstand illuminating his dark skin. He looked smug. Scott went to reach for his gun. 

**There is someone behind you,** SAM said.

Scott went to turn but something hit him in the back of the head. A flash of white-hot pain ricochet behind his eyelids and he collapsed. Someone was talking, their voice muffled, and the he was being picked up off the ground. Scott gave in and dropped into unconsciousness. 


	4. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting there-I promise!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!

Sometimes Scott wished someone would have shot him the second he set foot in Kadara Port. Would save him the trouble of having to wait. Or being thrown on board a ship and taken off planet.

**You are panicking, Scott. I am regulating your heartbeat to ensure you do not suffer an attack.**

_Gee thanks, pal._

Scott sat in a room by himself. Cora had said it was his quarters-as if he had agreed to come in the first place. Not like she’d wacked him over the head with the butt of her gun and dragged him away. Fucking rude. He hadn’t even been able to say goodbye to Umi. Or Reyes.

He felt his gut clench at that. Reyes was most likely tearing apart the streets of Kadara Port looking for him. He sent out a silent prayer to any otherworldly being that was listening that the smuggler didn’t do anything too drastic. But what Scott defined as drastic and what Reyes defined as drastic were two completely different definitions. He swallowed thickly.   

Everyone had left him alone so far. Well, except an asari-Lexi was her name-who had him sit still and hounded him about his health for a good two hours. Asked about the scarring on his arms, ‘sulfur bath’ he’d replied snarkily. She had poked unnecessarily hard at his arm with the next shot of antibiotics. She also asked about Scott’s memories. To that he told the honest truth; woke up on Kadara a year ago with no recollection of his entire life. Scott wouldn’t have even known his name if SAM hadn’t told him. Everything else was off limits. He mentioned SAM had tried to access the memories but that only led to agonizing fun-time in the bathroom. Scott really wasn’t up for finding any more interesting and painful ways to try and unlock his memories and had backpedaled as soon as Lexi had mentioned hooking him up to wires. No thanks.

SAM had also confided with Lexi about his health-the fucking traitor. It was like he knew these people, which made Scott incredibly uneasy. Was that how they found him? SAM? It would make a hell of a lot of sense. The more he thought about it, the more sick he felt.

So, after setting a tray of what looked like _really_ good food on the table beside the entrance, Lexi had left. She locked the door behind her of course. Awesome. Scott hadn’t touched the food.

 **You should eat something, your stress levels are extremely high** , SAM said.

_I’ll starve myself out of spite if that’s what it takes._

**You’re being childish.**

 

Liam stood with the others on the bridge. Cora had her arms crossed and Lexi was sifting through data that SAM had given them on Scott. _Scott_ . The same Scott who had pulled a gun on him, threatened to shoot him-looked at him like he was a stranger. They were _friends_.

Or had been.

“It seems as though whatever Scott went through between being transported to a different planet from Habitat Seven severely damaged his limbic system, rupturing his memories. It was made worse when Alec transferred SAM. He has no idea who any of us are or who he was. Except,” she narrowed her eyes at Cora and Liam. “That two Initiative people struck him over the head and _kidnapped_ him from his home. What the hell were you thinking?!”

“What choice did we have?” Liam spoke up. “He wasn’t going to come with us and we are running out of time!”

“We could have waited!” Lexi argued back. “After the stunt you two pulled there’s hardly any chance he’ll trust us enough-let alone come back to the Nexus willingly.”

“So we wait,” Vetra suggested. “We leave planetary orbit, keep away from the Initiative- _let him get to know us_.”

“We don’t have the time, Vetra. The Nexus needs a Pathfinder!” Cora said in exasperation. “We can’t keep him here-locked up like some criminal. He’s our _friend_!”

“You would rather have a Pathfinder ready to bolt the minute we take our eyes off him?” the turian asked. The crew fell silent. Gil spoke up.

“I, for one, second the vote on not having someone on board ready to stab us in the backs and make a break for the escape pods. Let’s give him a chance.” Both Kallo and Suvi agreed. Vetra nodded.

“We can at least try.” she said. Lexi nodded flipping through the compilations of notes she’d unearthed.

“I will keep access to the upper and back levels of the ship off limits for now. He will have access to the galley, medbay and his own room. Let’s keep this simple. We have to trust him if he’s going to trust us.”

“Good.” Vetra said and made her way past the crew to leave the bridge. Lexi called after her.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, doc.”

  


Scott would be lying if he said he didn’t try to unlock the door. He asked SAM if he could but the AI refused to do so. ‘Would be ill advised’, he’d said. ‘You are safer here’. Scott was beginning to feel like everyone was against him. So he decided to explore his quarters.

The room was spacious, multiple screens adorning the walls with different pictures, each featuring a different world. The bed was comfortable-not something he was entirely used to. There was a terminal in the right corner of the room that had no power. Typical. Might as well be in a fucking prison. Scott collapsed back on the bed and slung an arm over his eyes.

He missed Reyes.

And Kralla’s Song.

Maybe Umi.

He went over the last day and a half, closing his eyes. They had called him a Pathfinder-the solution. Solution to what? When Lexi had been taking blood samples, she had emphasized that they were his friends.

 **Perhaps from the missing portion of your memories?** SAM had added.

That made sense. When he thought about it that way he felt a pang of regret for pulling a gun on Liam. _He did break into your house and assisted in dragging you off Kadara, though,_ he thought to himself. Touche. Man, not even two days off planet and he was already homesick. Although getting off of Kadara also gave him something else to breathe other than the stench of sulfuric acid.

He was in the middle of listing all the things he was missing when he heard the door slide open. Scott didn’t bother getting up, or looking at whoever it was.

“You just gonna sit there moping?” Some asked by the foot of the bed. Scott hummed.

“As long as I can.” he replied.

“Some Pathfinder you are.” Ok, aggressive-consider him interested. He pushed himself up into a sitting position to face a..turian? She had her arms crossed over her chest, a loaded expression of ‘you disappoint me’ that would send any child running was plastered on her face.

“Look, I’m not a Path-!”

The last string of days must have been days for saying the wrong fucking thing because next thing he knew, the turian had launched herself at him. She snatched him up by the front of his shirt yanking him off the bed.

“What the fuck--?!”

“Now you listen to me, _Pathfinder Ryder_ ,” she hissed. “I don’t care if you bumped your fucking head on the ride down to Kadara, but the Nexus - we - have been through some serious shit this past year while you’ve been chumming it up with the exiles. So you listen to _me_ : you take one step out of line, give me one good reason to think you may be planning some fucking espionage shit on this ship, and I will personally jettison you into deep space-regardless of your status. You got it?” Scott nodded furiously. She set him back down on his feet. “Good, now, Lexi has given you access to some of the lower levels of the ship, you’re free to move around but for your sake I suggest you don’t do anything stupid.” the turian turned to leave.

“Why can’t I go back?” Scott asked. “Why couldn’t you have just left me alone?” She turned around to look at him. She looked sad.

“Sometimes needs are more important than wants, Scott.” was all she said before she left.

 

The next couple of days turned out to be quite eventful. During the first couple of days, Tthe only one willing to have full conversations with him for long periods of time was Gil. After complaining for two hours about being confined to such a small space, Vetra had given in and gave him free access to the lower levels. When he had first set his sights on the Nomad he was pretty sure he’d drooled. Gil had come up next to him, looking very pleased.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“If that isn’t a gift from some celestial being above, I don’t know what is.” Scott had replied.

It was his fourth day on the ship when Cora has stopped by, looking rather apologetic. She didn’t apologize but, instead she asked about his biotics. Scott, reluctant to confide in the woman, told her he only knew a little. It was a white lie-and he was pretty sure Cora knew that. But she left it alone and changed the subject to Kadara.

“How did you find Kadara Port?” she asked. Scott shrugged.

“Woke up twenty miles from the place, brain fried, panicking. A friend of mine found me out there-half dead. He set me up at the port.”

“Who’s your friend?” Cora asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Scott retorted, grinning. They exchanged a few more words before Scott retreated to his room,

Day five was the day Vetra pulled him aside for a chat. For a moment he Scott was worried he’d done something wrong but, she simply sat him down on the bed, joining him on the edge of the mattress.

“I’m sorry,” she started out. “About threatening you like that.” It was a late apology but an apology nonetheless. Scott had the good sense to accept it.

“I don’t blame you.” he replied.

“I care about this crew, Scott. But,” she sighed. “I also care about you.”

“Oh.”

“When Cora and Liam showed up saying they had lost not one but _two_ Pathfinder’s, we all felt it. One..dead, the other missing-but alive.” Scott frowned at that.

“Dead?” he repeated. He felt Vetra stiffen beside him-like she’d said the wrong thing.

“Yeah, uh, the guy who was before you, he died.” she said. It would have explained the body he woke up to, lifeless and cold.

“Who was he?” Scott pressed. Vetra didn’t say anything for a long while, not looking at him.

“A friend.” she finally settled on. Scott pretended to believe it.

“I’m sorry.” he said. They sat in more silence before Scott asked, “Vetra?”

“Yes?”

“What’s a Pathfinder?”

The following week was dedicated to teaching Scott how to ‘ _Pathfind_ ’. Gil called him ‘Pathfinder in training’ once and Scott had threatened to take apart the Nomad and throw the pieces in the compensators. He stopped after that.

Cora had cornered him in his room and offered to help him with his biotics. Scott went against his better judgement and accepted-only to land flat on his back twenty minutes later in the engineering space. They laughed about it over coffee.

There was also the matter of _Liam Kosta_. Insufferable, hot-headed, ‘I hold a high opinion of myself’ Liam Kosta. The first time Liam had tried to approach him in the galley while Scott was eating breakfast he nearly stabbed him with a fork. He was pretty sure Liam knew this too and kept a reasonable seven feet from him as they talked. By the end of their discussion Scott was unsure if he wanted to punch the man or shake his hand. He settled for waving him off and finishing his food.

 

It wasn’t until another three days had passed that Scott spotted a planet in the distance from his room. It was a brittle tan color, hosting a small moon. His eyes widened and he flung himself off his bed, heading for the corridor. He went to tell Lexi at the medbay but found it empty. The galley was void of anyone too, as were the lower levels. He paused for a moment.

“The hell..? SAM, what’s going on?”

 **Scott, I am detecting multiple lifeforms on the bridge, I suggest making your way there now.** The AI replied. Scott frowned but returned through the corridor and made his way to the ramp.

“Isn’t acces locked?” he asked.

**Incorrect, the corridor is open.**

_What…?_ The couldn’t have been right. Scott frowned and made his way up the steps and... the door was unlocked.

There was no one there. In the middle of the spacious room was a table with a holographic image of a massive ship floating above it. Multiple monitors ran along the edge of the counter and periodically beeped. This was new. Scott moved on, peeking down a long hallway that led towards the front of the ship.

_Should I?_

**I believe it is in your best interests to do so.** SAM chimed in.

_Right._

Scott made his way down the corridor, feet thumping against the platform. His heart was a jackhammer in his chest. Why was he nervous? The door to the bridge yawned open and the entire crew turned collectively to look at him.

 _Oh._   
“Did I, uh, miss something?” Scott asked, standing in the entryway. Vetra stepped forward, beckoning him closer.

“No, we were just about to call you up.”

“Why?” Vetra pointed out across the bridge to the planet below them

“We’ll be landing in an hour’s time.” she said. Then, motioning for Scott to follow, she made her way to the front of the ship, staring across the open space.

There was a helmet resting on a pedestal by the controls. It looked worn, scuff marks along the base of it with a red paintjob running streaks across the sides. Vetra picked up the helmet and handed it to him. Scott didn’t say a word as he turned it over in his hands.

The name ‘Ryder’ was carved onto the right side of the helmet in small, jagged lettering.

 **Your surname** , SAM said over the speakers.

“We found it below the monolith on Habitat Seven. Where you disappeared.” she said, her voice a whisper. Scott felt something cold settle in his stomach.

“Is this...mine?” he asked, holding the helmet in a tight grip.

“No.” Vetra answered quietly. “It was your father’s.”

A tremor tore its way up Scott’s spine.

_His father._

 

_Everything hurt, He couldn’t breathe. Where was dad?_

_Scott pushed himself up with what little strength he had, feeling his cracked ribs ache, the atmosphere impossible to intake. He was going to die. Someone approached from the distance. It was_ dad _. He knelt in front of Scott, removing his helmet. No, no, no-stop._

_A second explosion hit the two of them, knocking his father off his feet. There was a surge of light, an intense pain flared up, burning from the back of his skull and forward. The world went white, then dark._

He woke up _._

 

“Scott are you alright?” Vetra asked. The bridge was completely silent. Scott felt something wet on his cheek and went to wipe it with his hand. He was crying. The helmet was lying on the floor. Taking a deep breath, Scott knelt and picked it up, turning to stare into the visor of the helmet.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder and Scott pretended he didn’t jump a little. He saw Liam’s face in the reflection of the helmet.

“Yeah, I…” Scott paused. Looking out the front of the _Tempest_ , staring at the planet. “I’m good.”

“Do you, uh, remember anything?” she insisted.

“Alec Ryder is.. _was_ my dad.”

Liam squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.   
“Yeah.” He said. So he’d remembered. He hadn’t been the only one who landed on Kadara that day-he knew that. The body that he had woken up to, battered and burned. That had been his _father_.

Scott took a deep breath and stepped past Vetra, clutching the helmet. He could feel all their eyes on him as he set it back on the pedestal, still looking at the planet. Resting his hands on the panel of controls, Scott glanced at Suvi who was watching him intently.

“Take us down.”

Collectively, the entire crew seemed to exhale, the tension turning to excitement. _It was happening_. Suvi smiled, eyes going watery.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for a Pathfinder to say that.”


End file.
